response 5 of 12:

Jan 17 10:52 UTC 2002

  (Bob Wills was the leader of the Texas Playboys, I believe..)

response 7 of 12:

Jan 18 11:55 UTC 2002

Bob Wills.  Hey-- I don't always have a music encyclopedia at my side, 
you know.  What, you gonna critize because I couldn't remember the 
name? =)

response 9 of 12:

Jan 18 14:02 UTC 2002

  Actually, I think I'm with happyboy on this one..  :-p

response 11 of 12:

Jan 18 17:49 UTC 2002

        I can speak some on the Novelty/Comedy scene.  As the owner
of about 8 feet of CDs of Novelty/Comedy/fun/Funny CDs, there is 
a *lot* of artists with material out there.  Finding it in the
record bins at 'skim the top of the market' stores (like K-mart,
Wal-Mart, Target) is hard.
        Back in the early days of Rock and Roll radio (actually 
true Top 40 radio) it seemed that there always was one funny tune
in the playlist any particular week.  That is rare today.  Lack
of airplay is in-part from the narrowing from the Top 40 sound to 
Adult Contempoary (chicken-rock), Rock, Classic Rock, Oldies, Rap,
Urban and more.  Other reasons include:
*)      Radio stations follow each other.  As we have larger 
conglomerates, the more likely one is likly to have the same
playlist at the other.  Even before the multi-station conglomerates,
many stations would subcribe to programing services ("consultants").
Any song a consultant gave the green light to would suddently be
getting airplay on 100 stations.  The lower the local decision
making, the lower the variety.
*)      Funny records get noticed, and when they do make it on 
a station, gather a lot of requests.  So much so that the song
can quickly burn out.  Itself and the auidence that heard it 
enough.
*)      Radio personalities want to be funny and the focus of 
the fun.  Someone else being funny takes away from this.  The
latest consultant approved method is for the DJ to keep the
mic open while playing something funny, so that 'e may talk,
laugh or what-not while it plays, making it part of 'is funny
bits.
*)      Right, many record produces by-passed Weird Al, saying
he had great stuff, good talent, but would not produce it.
That is, they did not see it as Top Twelve material, thus
would not gamble on it.  Weird Al's last CD, Running with
Scissors was a hit (Top 20) CD in the summer of 1999.  It is
still in the record bins today, while others from the summer
of 1999 have already gone thru the clearence racks.  Back in
time, it was Mel Blanc doing funny stuff for Capitol Records
that sold more copies than comptenporary Frank Sinatra records.

        maybe more discussion later...I've done my keatsworth.